Exploring Life & Business with Tommy Wheatley & Luke Kidwell of Raw Milk and Deadlifts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Wheatley & Luke Kidwell. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Raw Milk & Deadlifts was started by lifelong friends Luke Kidwell & Tommy Wheatley. The brand was created as a fun and unique way to share their passion for health, fitness, regenerative agriculture, and their faith.

Luke and Tommy began their passion for health and fitness in high school but never dreamed they would have anything to do with farming. But as they went further down the rabbit hole of healthy food, they discovered homesteading, and regenerative agriculture, and ended up working on a small-scale farm.

They saw how well the “old school” farming and fitness worlds blended, even though nobody else was talking about it. They noticed how things like “farm strength” were real and how foods like raw milk had a big influence on their workouts and strength in the gym.

The slogan “Raw milk and deadlifts” started as a joke, and possibly an idea for a funny t-shirt. But after some thought and encouragement from some friends, they realized it would be much more. In December of 2020, the Raw Milk and Deadlifts Instagram was started, and it’s been a wild ride since then!

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning how to run your own business while also working on a farm.

Figuring out products, merch, shipping, margins.

I moved from Virginia to Tennessee last year.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Raw Milk and Deadlifts?
We educate/spread the message about faith, real food, food freedom, health, fitness, and being strong and not soft in this modern world. We do this via Instagram, interviews, speaking at events, etc.

We are most known for our unique farm-themed merch like our “Make Milk Raw Again” hats, or our “Pasteurization is for weenies” shirts.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Find someone who is already doing what you want to be doing and build a relationship with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: Rawmilkanddeadlifts.com
• Instagram: @rawmilkanddeadlifts